I don’t think people would have cared much for the case if it wasn’t for the way media and certain celebrities portrayed it. It was obvious they wanted it to be true from the start to push a narrative. I could link a bunch of clips but you have CNN saying “This is America 2019”. And an actress lambasting the VP over it on the Colbert show, this needs to stop.

Oh my gosh. I logged back in JUST to see if there were such a thread as this. I am NOT disappointed. It’s always highly entertaining to watch libs act so freaking idiotic. This thread, especially the first hundred posts or so should be archived as one of the greats, along with Wavy Lays. Carry on.

No … the story was reported on as fact when it was nothing but an allegation. And then, the false allegation (as it began to become apparent to be just hours after the initial reports) was elaborated on and politicized for days afterward both by MSM and News Commentary even offering Smollet a platform to expound on his “ordeal” without challenging a word of his story. It was a disgustingly incompetent and dishonest display of biased partisan journalism.

Show me that every SINGLE SOLITARY NEWS REPORT from real media was not factually accurate as the facts were known at that time when the story first hit. And notice I said factually accurate as the facts were known – not guessed at – by pundits and posters on an internet message board.

The only fact that was known initially is that Smollett said the attack happened.
Almost every medium reported that the attack did happen rather than allegedly happened.

Exactly. Why some people here are not able to understand that distinction would be puzzling if it wasn’t so common.

There was no way anyone initially would have known it didn’t happen like he said it did.

And people here are jumping on the use of the word “allegedly” saying the fact it wasn’t used is a problem. Read the information below from the Columbia Journalism Review, a respected information source on journalism, for a better understanding of the use of the word. For those of you who haven’t written news stories, the writing is governed by stylebooks used by reporters. The AP’s is probably the most common. Here’s what the CJR says regarding the AP Stylebook. In this case, there was no question initially, so there was no reason to use “allegedly.”

Interestingly, few usage guides address the issue directly. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage says the usage of “alleged murderer” is an Americanism, but is unclear whether it should be avoided, though it seems to lean that way. The Associated Press stylebook implies that “alleged” should not be used with the person, but never says it explicitly. Part of its entry on “allege” reads: “Do not use alleged to describe an event that is known to have occurred, when the dispute is over who participated in it. Do not say: He attended the alleged meeting when what you mean is: He allegedly attended the meeting .” Since in practically every crime the dispute is over who participated in it, one could infer that the AP frowns on the use of “alleged” in front of “murderer” or “thief.”

And I also decry the parade of crying family members and acquaintances of the victim at the sentencing hearing. All it does is add emotion to the exercise of the justice system. The sentence should be the sentence for the crime, not a drain for tears.

Smollet’s hoax will be included in the 2019 statistics for crimes REPORTED.

And the increase in hate crimes reported (and actually perpetrated) include crimes against all demographics, so the “one or two” you try to dismiss are also part of those reported. (And it’s not just one or two. And I think you know that.)

Smollet’s hoax will be included in the 2019 statistics for crimes REPORTED.

And the increase in hate crimes reported (and actually perpetrated) include crimes against all demographics, so the “one or two” you try to dismiss are also part of those reported. (And it’s not just one or two. And I think you know that.)

No. False crimes, like false alarms, wouldn’t be crimes in the final stats. Therefore Smullett wouldn’t be included.